Community Digest

Whittier : Money Crunch May Imperil Center for the Blind

A funding shortage could jeopardize services at a local center for the blind, its directors announced recently.

The Intercommunity Blind Center must raise $40,000 by June or face additional cuts in services to more than 350 area youth and adults who use the nonprofit center, Director Gerry Konsler said. He added that he has already eliminated three part-time positions, leaving only himself, one other full-time employee and about 55 volunteers running the center.

The financial crisis is a result of declining private donations, the loss of a major foundation grant, a 50% reduction in United Way funding over the past two years and a 40% reduction in funding from local service organizations, Konsler said.

Staff and volunteers help visually impaired clients learn to live on their own. Services include Braille instruction and a support group. The center also operates a library of books on tape.